.FORBIDDEN CITY (紫禁城)(In front of the meridian gate)Ladies and Gentlemen:I am pleased to serve as your guide today.This is the palace museum; also know as the Purple Forbidden City. It is the largest and most well reserved imperial residence in China today. Under Ming Emperor Yongle, construction began in 1406. It took 14years to build the Forbidden City. The first ruler who actually lived here was Ming Emperor Zhudi. For five centuries thereafter, it continued to be the residence of23
